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The Final Stand
ALLEGIANCES Thunderclan Leader-''' Risestar, jet black tom with green eyes 'Deputy-' Dawnbird, pale brown she-cat with amber eyes and unusually small ears 'Medicine Cat-' Brackenpelt, large brown tom Apprentice- Smallpaw 'Warriors-' Goldensun- golden she-cat Apprentice- Silverpaw Whitefoot- small white tom with dark green eyes Apprentice- Flamepaw '' Blazeclaw- small, muscular black tom with pale gold eyes and very sharp claws ''Apprentice-'' Fallenpaw'' Yellowlight- pale yellow she-cat with matching yellow eyes Strikeclaw- tabby tom with fierce-looking amber eyes. 'Queens-' Trueheart- small, sleek she-cat with pretty white fur and bright blue eyes Shinefeather- muscled, athletic she-cat with a pale yellow coat and dark blue eyes 'Elders-' Graystripe- dark gray tom, oldest cat in all clans. '''Blazeclaw Blazeclaw glared at the tortoiseshell she-cat. "Get off our territory. You're not a TreeClan cat." he hissed. "You are right, young one. I am not. But I was once a ThunderClan warrior, and I lived where you do now." she didn't look at all fazed by his hostiliy. Blazeclaw looked at her in surprise, then realized his stupidity. He had confronted a Starclan warrior. Not clever, Blazeclaw, he scolded himself. "Who are you?" he enquired, admiring the beauty of the she-cat. She didn't come close to the beauty of his mate but she was still above average. "I am Spottedleaf. I fell in love with your ancestor, Firestar, when he has new to the old forest." her eyes were glazed with a faraway look. "The old forest? New? That makes no sense." he replied, confused. "The Clans were not always here, young one. Moons ago, we lived beyond the mountains, far beyond them. We were happy there, although there was much hatred. Most of it came from a tom named Tigerclaw." Blazeclaw listened intently. It was like being a kit listening to stories in the elder's den- though this was far more interesting, because it was related directly to him. Oh, and because it was narrated by a warrior with stars in her fur. "Tigerclaw had a mind full of wit and muscles full of strength and a heart full of ambition. But he craved for power too much. So much, he almost destroyed the clans. So much, he would have killed his leader." Blazeclaw gasped. "That's pure evil! Why didn't the clans drive him out?" "He hid his treachery with deception. The clans would have been doomed, if it were not for fire." she looked amused at his reaction. "Fire? But fire..." "...is feared by all the clans, yes. But this fire was is the form of a cat. A young kittypet named Rusty had lived a pampered life but the fire within his heart blazed even then. He was lead to the clans by fate, and joined them." "A kittypet? Really?" Blazeclaw was disgusted. The thought of a pampered, fat kittypet pretending to be a warrior almost made him vomit. "But he was not like any other kittypet. He earned the name Firepaw and trained with his friend Graypaw. But one day, their friend Ravenpaw told them of Tigerclaw's treachery. They learnt that he had killed his clanmate in battle to become deputy, but had failed." Spottedleaf went on. "Didn't they tell the leader?" "They tried, but she would not listen. So they went on through life. Ravenpaw was forced to hide so he would not be killed for knowing the truth about Tigerclaw, but the two others became warriors. Graystripe and Fireheart..." "Graystripe!" Blazeclaw thought of the shrivelled, ancient elder who could barely chew his prey for old age. He had heard all the stories- about his fiery hearted friend who had saved the clans, his beautiful Riverclan mate who died young, his mystical daughter who defeated a giant monster but died with it, his legendary son who lived in the mountains... Everyone knew the stories, but most cats assumed Graystripe was so old that his mind was making things up. He couldn't imagine the old lump of fur as a strong young warrior who had fought against an evil clan of rogues. He listened as the she-cat told him the story of the past. " And Firestar's daughter mated Tigerclaw's son. They had a kits, and their kits had kits, and so on. Generations later, we are left with you and Risestar." "What? Risestar and I are descended from Tigerclaw? And Firestar?" Blazeclaw wailed. He had the blood of a tyrannous murderer! He was proud that he had such brilliant heritage from Firestar. His ancestors were the great saviour of the clans, the she-cat who found this territory, and the medicine cat who found the moonpool. But Tigerclaw- or, as he was now known as, Tigerstar, was his ancestor too. "Yes. The new prohecy states that.. Good and evil shall join once more, But battle till the land shakes to the core, What is true shall be lost but may still win And the battle is won by united kin." "So I am good and evil joined?" he asked. "You must work it out for yourself. I am forbidden to directly tell you of the future. But, you one, I must tell you this. A great war is coming and you will play a great part."she mewed. "And Spottedleaf?" "Yes?" "You said you loved Firestar. So his daughter Squirrelflight- she must have been your daughter. So am I related to you?" Blazeclaw wished he could take back the question when he saw Spottedleaf wince. "No. I died young, and I am a medicine cat anyway. He fell in love with a young warrior named Sandstorm." she whispered, and faded away. Blazeclaw cursed his stupidity. Why did he have to be so insensitive? 'Risestar' He stood above the four clans, watching the cats murmuring below him. "... and Riverclan has a new apprentice, Volepaw." Stonestar was saying. A small brown apprentice stood proudly, his head high. "Thankyou, Stonestar. NightClan has had some badgers in our territory, but our patrol drove them out. We have also found some Windclan cats hunting in our territory and will fight if this continues. Our leader, Roarstar, is still not well enough to attend gatherings but has sent his thanks to WaterClan for saving two drowning NightClan kits." Flowerfoot, the NightClan deputy spoke. "TreeClan has been sent a message from the cats of the stars. I would not normally choose to share this with you but I feel it concerns all of the clans." Risestar began. "Risestar, it is not your turn." Yellowstar hissed. "I know, but this cannot wait. I have been sent a message from StarClan warning me of an upcoming war. It is the final stand." he announced. At that moment, there was a rush of light as an array of cats descended from the sky like a shooting star. They landing in a clearing not far from the lake. The clans fell silent. "The time draws closer. The final battle between StarClan and the Dark Forest approaches. You have seven sunups left. All the clans must meet here by that time. If we lose then we will all roam the dark forest for enernity. All cats that die will go to the Dark Forest unless we win." a bluish-gray she-cat announced. Risestar realized that she must be Bluestar from the legends. Either her or her daughter. From the mud, another group of cats then rose. Mean looking scavengers with sharp, bloodstained claws. Their eyes were dull as mud yet sharp as claws. Risestar shuddered. "You WILL lose. Then you will take your rightful place in the Pace of No Stars, and we shall live forever!" a dark tom with unusually long claws stepped forward. "Hawkfrost, that was not for you to say." an almost identical- though bigger- cat stepped forward. Risestar noticed with confusion a third replica of the dark toms, only this one was standing on the side of StarClan. Why wasn't he with his kin? Risestar thought, puzzled. "We shall fight then." Bluestar growled. "So be it." with that, both groups vanisheed instantly. The clans were silent for what felt like seven sunups. "StarClan help us." Risestar whispered, though he knew not even StarClan could do so... 'Blazeclaw' "How are the kits, Trueheart?" he mewed fondly. His mate was talking energetically to Shinefeather, and praising her two kits- Midnightkit and Littlekit. "Oh hi, Blazeclaw! The kits are great! There are four. Want to know their names?" she anwsered eagerly. "Yeah!" "Well, this one is Eaglekit, you see the one with big eyes?" she pointed to a pale grey tom. Blazeclaw purred. "You're so good at coming up with names. I could only come up with Greykit, and Blackit, and Silverkit, and Redkit." he mewed. "Well, it's lucky you won't be naming them. I will call the black she-cat Nightkit, and the silver she-cat is Streamkit." "After the beautiful warrior Graystripe told us about?" "No, I just quite liked the name." Trueheart licked her mate affectionately. "Can I name the red one?" "As long as it's not Redkit!" Trueheart told him. "Okay, keep your fur on. I'm calling him Firekit." he said. "Firekit? No, I was going to call him Poppykit..." Trueheart began, but Blazeclaw interupted. "POPPYKIT? FOR A TOM?" he screeched. Trueheart almost choked with laughter. "Okay, okay! Firekit it is." the two cats gazed at each other fondly. "You know, Blazeclaw? I love you so much. If I die in the battle, look after the kits for me, won't you?" Trueheart looked serious now, "I swear on on Starclan that no claw or fang will take the life of any of those kits, not if I can help it. But you won't die. Not till you've lived to a ripe old age and we're so old that even Graystripe will be a youngster to us." Blazeclaw promised. "Oh, Blazeclaw. If that were true, we'd be called kittypets." laughed Trueheart, but the two cats were in high spirits at the thought, 'Firestar' "That move was pathetic," Squirrelflight purred. "Shut up, Squirrelflight." her sister snapped. "Don't fight!" Firestar's response was automatic. "Don't fight?" Sandstorm mewed scornfully. "Shut up and train." Squirrelflight practised her pounce on Leafpool, who dodged out of the way. With an unexpertly aimed swipe, the medicine cat only just managed to rake her sister's belly with a sheathed paw. "You know, claws were invented for a reason." Squirrelflight laughed. Firestar frowned. "That reason was not to kill your sister in training." he scolded. It was the wrong thing to say. "I'm not going to kill her! I am merely practising. Or are you turning into such a coward you won't even let me practise?" Firestar knew she was only frightened of the future and was taking it out on him. At that moment, Brambleclaw rushed into the clearing of clouds they were training on. "I have a report! Four kits, named Firekit, Nightkit, Streamkit and Eaglekit were born to Trueheart and Blazeclaw at sunup." he panted. "Have any of them got special destinies?" Sandstorm asked enthusiatically. "I fear Eaglekit will become a Dark forest warrior eventually." "Is there anything we can do?" Leafpool gasped. "There is nothing we can do unless he changes the path his paws are set on. But he carries the blood of Tigerstar, what can we expect?" Crowfeather murmured, padding up to greet Leafpool, who was now his mate. The dark grey tom apologised immediately when he saw Brambleclaw wince. "Poor Eaglekit. Can we send him a dream?" Squirrelflight enquired. "You should know of all cats that once a cat's heart is too dark, we can't interfere with their life." Brambleclaw was referring to Ashfur, who had grown too dark hearted to forgive the pale ginger she-cat. Only Brambleclaw had had enough heart to forgive her for her lies and secrecy. "He's only a kit!" gasped Squirrelflight. "He'll soon grow too dark hearted, and he'll never understand a dream now." Brambleclaw looked just as regretful as Firestar felt. He sighed. Whatever happened, Tigerstar would live on. 'Trueheart' Cats flashed into the clearing from all directions, yowling battlecries. Glowing shapes sped from the sky with the speed of shooting stars, and Trueheart saw her mother among them. She gave her a little nod of acknowledgement. A beautiful scent overcame her as Blazeclaw's pelt brushed hers and they raced towards the Dark Forest cats. Pelts streaked by, clashing with the blood-red evening sky. Yowls sounded as claws met flesh for the first time in the battle. A ginger tabby leapt at her, but she dodged him, and carried on running along with every cat she had ever trusted. She had to fight this battle, queen or not. This was the Final Stand and fighting now was well worth losing her life. But what about the... "The kits! No cat is defending the nursery!" she realized out loud, horror shooting through her body like a hundred lightning bolts. Pushing past confused Clan members, she searched desperately for the nursery entrance. She glimpsed it gladly, and sped to the entrance. Her kits were concealed behind a wall of bramble, muttering excitedly to each other. She stood protectively over her kits, the sounds of battle roaring in her ears. Hidden in the nursery, she couldn't help but fear for her mate. "Trueheart." the dark tom from the Gathering stepped forward. "Hawkfrost." she replied calmly. "No! I am the great Tigerstar." he roared. "The great ''Tigerstar?" she repeated scornfully, but her heart was pounding. "Mother, are we in danger?" Nightkit whined. Trueheart didn't reply. The dark brown tom glared at her with blazing amber eyes. She knew he was stronger, but she had something on her side that he would never know of. Bored with waiting to kill the queen, Tigerstar pounced. Trueheart blocked him. She fought with everything she had. More than her own strength. When strength ran out she fought with anger. When anger ran out she fought with hope. When hope ran out she fought with love. Love never ran out. The thought of her family blazed in her mind and she could have fought for them forever. Claws slashing, teeth gnashing, they were going to kill each other. Even though Tigerstar couldn't die, if he was killed he would be confined to the Dark Forest forever. So she had to keep fighting for her family, her clan. Her mate, Blazeclaw. Her sister, Dawnbird. Names flashed through her mind. BlazeclawRisestarFirekitStreamkitNightkitEaglekitDawnbird... "Mother!" Firekit squeaked a warning but it was too late. Trueheart lay on the floor. Desperate, she slashed her opponent's face. Blood blinded him momentarily. Furious, he delivered a crushing blow, She returned it, staggering. "My kits, I love you so much. Streamkit, you're so beautiful. I love you." Streamkit opened her eyes, which had been squeezed tightly shut, in surprise. "Nightkit, you're so caring. Remember to keep your kindness in a secret place in your heart and don't let any cat take it from you." Trueheart rasped. "Firekit, you are so brave. One day you will lead the clan." this was no news to the ambitious kit, who nodded respectfully. Trueheart meant to turn to Eaglekit to tell him he was strong, but she stumbled over before she could manage. Silent now, the fighters lay on the floor. They had both won. They had both lost. All that was left was the four kits, huddled in the corner, their eyes wide open. "Mummy, you can get up now. He's gone." Streamkit whispered, her blue eyes stretched wide. There was no reply. 'Blazeclaw' "Onwards and upwards, Riverclan!" "To me, Thunderclan!" "'til the end, Shadowclan!" "Always, Windclan!" The familiar battle cries filled the air. Blazeclaw raced towards the seemingly endless array of dark hearted warriors. "I got your back." Whitefoot muttered. "Same to you." he told his friend quietly as they raced towards what seemed to be certain death. He was dimly aware of their starry ancestors zooming by their sides. Among them was Blueflower, Trueheart's mother. Her eyes were full of pain and Blazeclaw dreaded to find out why. He stopped in front of a bloodthirsty warrior with needle sharp claws. "I am Thistleclaw. You may call me Doom." he snarled. Blazeclaw raked his claws over the warrior's shoulder, but to no effect. His opponent stood over him, his fangs at his neck. "Good riddance." he grunted. Blazeclaw braced himself for death. "No!" a Starclan warrior burst out of nowhere, knocking the Dark forest cat away and killing him instantly. He felt joy bubble through his veins. Then he saw who it was. And he knew he wanted to die. 'Starclan announcement. It is our pleasure to report that Starclan defeated the Place Of No Stars in the Final Stand, after their leader was killed by a Thunderclan queen. However, we are devastated to say that we must report deaths. Yellowwing- Windclan. Killed protecting Shadowclan kits Redfur- Shadowclan. Killed in action. Blacktooth- Shadowclan. Killed in action. Yellowlight- Thundeclan. Killed protecting leader. Trueheart- Thunderclan. Killed in action. Gorseleaf- Riverlclan. Killed in action. Smileheart- Riverclan. Killed protecting leader. Blazeclaw- Thunderclan. Killed protecting kits. '' ''Brackenpelt- Thunderclan. Killed while caring for injured... List to be continued at a later date. All the above deaths will lead to ranks in Starclan. We would state to share our compassion for the affected family members. '''Streamkit She looked at her mother, confused. "Mummy, you can stop pretending. He's dead." she mewed anxiously, waiting for her mother to spring back up. She laid perfectly still. "Do you think she's sick?" Eaglekit queried, nudging the she-cat impatiently. "Let's go and ask Brackenpelt." Firekit decided, strolling fearlessly outside. His siblings followed him. "I wonder if they..." Nightkit began, but she fell silent when she saw what had happened. The clearing was silent apart from occasional murmurs of pain. It was full of stiff, unmoving cats with bloodstained pelts. Streamkit could smell plenty of living cats too, but they had gone somewhere else. "Can you see Brackenpelt?" whispered Eaglekit nervously. Nightkit wailed. "There!" she gestured with her tail to an unmoving tom with a pelt soaked with blood. "Now what will we do?" "What's wrong, kits?" a tired rasp made the young cats squeal with shock, then sigh with relief when they saw who it was. Before them stood Dawnbird, their deputy. "We need a medicine cat. Our mother is sick and..." Firekit stopped when he saw the look on the deputy's face. "Your mother is dead." her tone was bland, empty. Streamkit didn't believe a word of it. "Don't be mousebrained. She's still in the nursery, just napping. The battle must have been tiring." she snapped. Dawnbird sighed. "She's gone. They're all gone. Risestar, Blazeclaw, Trueheart, Brackenpelt... the list goes on. There's barely enough cats left for two clans. How will we survive? Oh, Risestar, tell me what to do. I love you." Dawnbird murmured. And she raced into the forest. Streamkit snorted. "I might be a kit but I'm not stupid. Trueheart was okay a moment ago, how could she be dead?" panic rose in her chest. Was it true? No, it couldn't be. It wasn't. Was it? "Eaglekit? I think she might be telling the truth." Streamkit whispered. Pine needles scratched her heart. Panic bubbled up inside her with them. How would she survive without her mummy? "No! You're lying!" screeched Eaglekit. He rounded on his sister angrily. "Why did you say that?" he growled. "It's true!" Streamkit blinked at him with innocent blue eyes. "She wouldn't have died." Eaglekit roared, and bashed his unsheathed paw violently over his sister's head. Many moons later... 'Eaglepaw' Eaglepaw stalked the mouse silently. It had been moons since the Final Stand and he had finally earned his rightful place as apprentice of the leader, Goldenstar. Things were going well. Soon, he would become greater than the "siblings" that every cat said to be so much better than him. "Hey, Eaglepaw!" Littlepaw called eagerly. The brown tom blundered toward him. The mouse scuttled away. "What was that for?" Eaglepaw hissed. "Okay, keep your fur on!" Littlepaw looked hurt before scampering away. Good, he thought. So he wasn't the only one who got hurt. He was always the outsider, the loser. Even his mother had ignored him on her deathbed. But it was good that Littlepaw admired him. He'd need support when he was leader and he wouldn't get that from Streampaw or Nightpaw. He would not accept any help from Firepaw anyway. "Hey, Eaglepaw!" a pretty black she-cat trodded up to him, mewing enthusiatically. "Hi, Midnightpaw ." his heart leapt. His future mate was an amazing cat, he thought happily. "Talked to my mousebrained brother?" she looked sympathetic. "Don't be so mean! Think about how the mice must feel, being compared to Littlepaw!" the tom joked. "That's not nice, Eaglepaw. I was joking. Littlepaw isn't a mouse. He's a cat, like you and me." Eaglepaw rolled his eyes as Midnightpaw scolded him. Annoyed, the black she-cat leapt at him. Eaglepaw dodged, but she had been expecting this and shot a paw out. He tumbled into the dust. Midnightpaw leapt on top of him and pinned his shoulders down, raking his belly with her hind paws. Furious to be beaten, Eaglepaw squirmed, but he couldn't escape her grasp. This was a cat that would not be defeated. "That's good, Midnightpaw. Now, he's going to try and use his strength against you, but you're stronger. Keep him there till he gives up." a familiar voice called approvingly. It was Whitefoot, Midnightpaw's mentor. "I don't think she needs any help!" Eaglepaw rasped jokingly. He knew that no cat would trust him if he was too reserved. To his dismay, Whitefoot glowered at him. "I don't think I need any help from an apprentice. Especially one that doesn't listen to his mentor." he snarled, and stalked off. The pale gray apprentice hissed furiously. "I was only joking! He's just annoyed that I have so much of my father in me. Don't worry, Midnightpaw. He..." Whitefoot whirled around furiously at Eaglepaw's words. "No cat will ever be the same as Blazeclaw. Not one! And you have absolutely none of your father in you. He knew better not to talk back to warriors. Blazeclaw only lives on in the stars, or maybe in that ginger son of his." he hissed. Eaglepaw flattened his ears, but he knew better than to reply. "He didn't mean it like that!" Midnightpaw mewed indignantly. "This isn't your business, Midnightpaw. Go hunting with Streampaw and her mentor." the old gray warrior snapped. Midnightpaw didn't seem fazed. "This is my business. Eaglepaw is my friend. No cat talks to him like that!" she hissed. Eaglepaw gaped at her in a mixture of gratitude and shock. "Don't talk to me like that. Now, go and make yourself useful. Both of you." he growled. "But I don't see what..." "Would you like me to speak to Goldenstar about this?" Eaglepaw and Midnightpaw glanced at each other. They hadn't really done anything wrong, and Whitefoot wasn't normally so bad-tempered. What had happened? "Yes, please. I'd like to have this sorted out." Eaglepaw replied politely. Glaring at the two friends, Whitefoot trudged away. "Did you hear? Dawnstar.. I mean, Dawnfur had two kits yesterday." he changed the subject. Whitefoot wouldn't really tell anyone about them but Midnightpaw looked uncomfortable. "Awesome! She-cats or toms?" Littlepaw asked eagerly, bounding back over to join them. "Both toms. One will be called Risekit and the other will be called Dirtkit." Eaglepaw answered. "Oh, poor Dirtkit. His mother obviously favoured Risekit right from the start." Littlepaw said, but stopped at the look on Eaglepaw's face. "I was only saying, since one was named after his mother's mate and the other..." Eaglepaw turned to go, thinking hard. Littlepaw was right. Dirtkit was in the same situation as him. He'd be a valuable follower. "Where are you going?" Midnightpaw called. "To the nursery! I can't wait to see Dirtkit and Risekit!" he lied. He was only interested in Dirtkit. They were so alike. Risekit might be a good warrior too but he'd be soft from too much motherly love. The two apprentices reached the nursery, panting. Midnightpaw inhaled. "Even the smell of this place reminds me of being a kit!" she purred, and began to recount happy memories of playing with Littlekit. Eaglepaw sighed. All he could remember from kithood was watching his dying mother in horror as she said her final words to his siblings but ignored him. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" he lied fluently, not wanting to seem weak or vunerable. "Hello, Midnightpaw and..." Dawnfur's words were cut short by a wailing. One of the kits was on top of the other; they had been playfighting. "We've come to see you." Eaglepaw told her. The ex-deputy purred and turned to her kits. "Oh, I should be leading my clan now, not staying stuck in the nursery with kits." she muttered. "So, which one's which?" Midnightpaw asked brightly. "The one that's hurt the other, that's Dirtkit. And the hurt one is Risekit." she replied, before turning to scold Dirtkit. "You stupid kit, you know you're stronger than your brother. Why don't you think before opening your horrible little mouth and stabbing a horrible little tooth into Risekit?" Eaglepaw watched in a mixture of horror and satisfaction. This was verbal kit abuse, and although it would be handy for training Dirtkit, it was terrible. Terrible yet perfect. Dawnfur was a lovely cat but she didn't know what to do with kits at all. "That's not fair. You're a horrible mother. No, you're worse than that If only you were so much as half a horrible mother, I'd be something close to happy." Dirtkit replied angrily. Dawnfur rolled her eyes before turning to talk to Midnightpaw. Eaglepaw leaned down and breathed into Dirtkit's ear; "Don't worry. She's the stupid one. You can't trust family. My kin was like that and look at me now! I survived it all. Listen to me and you will too." "So what did you do?" Dirtkit's amber eyes stretched wide. "I didn't give a mousetail whether they wanted me to die! I was strong and I survived. Don't bother with them. Even if they do care about you, they just block your way to glory. We were lucky, we won't have to push them aside." he muttered. Dirtkit nodded. "Will we be great?" "Oh, the greatest! I will be leader- and if you stick with me, you will be deputy. Imagine the victory we'll have then! And when I join Starclan, you will be Greatstar, leader of Thunderclan." he entertained the kit with a fantasy. "Won't it be Dirtstar? I hate my name but it's mine." "You will change it, of course." Eaglepaw turned to leave, followed by Midnightpaw. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather!" Goldenstar announced. Curious to know her reasons, cats swarmed in from all directions. He noticed Flamepelt and Littlepaw sitting near the front of the assembly and went to join them. "As you all know, Smallpool, our medicine cat, is yet to join Starclan soon. He was injured badly and has not long left to live. The clan will honour his skills and courage." Goldenstar announced. Eaglepaw shot a regretful look at his follower. "Yes. Starclan have sent me a sign that I will die today, and I have no apprentice. So I would like to name one." not me, Eaglepaw thought. Please not me. "An amiable companion, yet skilfull minded cat." Please not him. Please. "Someone I admire and think will succeed." For Starclan's sake, who? Eaglepaw thought. "Midnightpaw, from the moment I die, you may be known by your warrior name. Do you accept?" Eaglepaw stared in shock, while the words sunk in. No, it couldn't happen. But it might happen. But it might happen. It might happen. "NO! SAY NO! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MATES! NO!" he screeched. "You can't boss me around, Eaglepaw. I never said we were going to be anything close to mates, anyway. It's my descision." what was she saying? Why wasn't she turning Smallstrike down? He knew she was going to refuse, he knew it. It was as much as a fact to him as the existence of joy. He knew it because he could feel it. But there was no joy now, only anxiety. "Smallstrike, I'm afraid this..." Eaglepaw breathed a sigh of utter relief. "...is going to be a hard descision." he tensed up again. "I must go with my heart..." he wanted to cry his thanks so loud that Starclan would hear it. "...I accept your offer." He almost choked with shock. "NO! PLEASE!" he begged. The other cats gave his disdainful looks. "I love you, Midnightpaw." he whispered gently, in too much pain to make any more noise. "I love you too." she looked directly into his eyes. "Then you must put aside your feelings. For I say these words before Starclan and may they hear and approve of my choice. Midnightpaw, you may have been trained in the ways of a warrior but you have the skill of a medicine cat. Do you accept?" "I do." "Then from this moment onwards, you will be known as Midnightblaze." The worst name he would ever hear was uttered for the first time. Midnightblaze, Midnightblaze... oh, if only she hadn't become a medicine cat. If only, if only, if only... That night, Smallstrike died peacefully in his sleep. He was rumoured to be crying apologies to Starclan for unknown reasons. Eaglepaw wanted to kill him for stealing his only joy. How had be gone from everything to nothing? He was in so much emotional pain felt like a hundred monsters were ramming into him, a hundred deathberries were being forced down his throat, a hundred Twolegs were forcing needles into him, a hundred fires were raging inside him. He loved Midnightpaw so much, she couldn't not love him back. Burning with rage, he went to see Midnightblaze, deciding that he would somehow persuade her to change her mind and allow Littlepaw or some other fool to take the job. Creeping through the grass, he planned his speech. He was only meant to speak to her at sunrise when she was allowed to talk, but soon he couldn't bear it any longer. Bursting through the long grass, he yowled "Midnightblaze I..." he fell silent. Midnightblaze wasn't there and her scent was stale. She had abandoned her vigil long ago. Why had she done that? He was sure it was to get away from him. She'll be sorry, he thought. One day she'd wish that she had loved Eaglepaw, but it would be too late. He would be a great leader with the most beautiful mate in all the world and the cleverest apprentice and the greatest clan. Streampaw, Nightpaw and Firepaw didn't deserve that kind of glory. He would be the gloriful victor. He wouldn't be afraid to kill any cat. Wanting to shock Midnightblaze, he followed her scent to a clearing. His emotions were mixed up so much that his head spun with confusion. Hate, pain, love, bitterness. Reaching the clearing, he was horrified to smell his oh-so-perfect brother's scent mixed with hers. They were talking, and he had to listen. And his heart froze at what he heard. Firepelt and Midnightblaze were murmuring softly. "I love you." he snarled under his breath as his brother murmured to Featherpelt. "I love you too." she replied. Eaglepaw snarled loudly, but the two cats didn't notice. Too enthralled in their love, he realized. Doubling up with pain, he squealed like a sick kit. He felt literally sick with agony. Then hate replaced the pain. Hate was easier to bear, and he had to bear so much that is was simply easier to forget the pain. It was all his brother's fault. He stole all the fame, all the attention. Eaglepaw was strong and trustworthy, whereas Firepaw was smaller and forgetful. He'd be sorry. One day he would kill Firepaw for stealing everything. And he'd enjoy every minute of it. Desperate to drown out the sounds of loving, he entertained himself by fantasizing about how he would kill his brother. Painfully, for sure. First he would blind him. Then he'd rip him open slowly. He'd have to slash at his brother's throat so he couldn't say any mushy last words to Midnightblaze. "It’s okay, Midnightblaze. I love you." "You know what? The word kit reminded me of some very special news I have to tell you. I'm going to have YOUR ..." he couldn't bear it any more. "Traitor!" he yowled, leaping into the clearing. He had to kill the evil from the world. She was a medicine cat! She should know better! "Eaglepaw!" they leapt apart. "Hi, Eaglepaw! We were just discussing Dawnbird's kits; we were wondering if they were worth her giving up her leadership. Care to join us?" Firepelt lied smoothly. "Liar! You're loving each other even though she's medicine cat." "Promise you won't tell?" Midnightblaze begged. Eaglepaw glared with as much hate as he could summon at his brother. His oh-so-strong, oh-so-talented, oh-so-handsome, oh-so-perfect brother. "We'll be okay. See? Even the most dark-hearted cat in the Clan won't tell about us." she murmured to her bristling mate. "You said you loved me. You lied." Eaglepaw hissed. "I did love you once. But that was before I saw how you treat my brother. I'm really sorry, Eaglepaw, but I need a cat whose concience is clear, and Firepelt is that cat." the ginger warrior by her side lifted his head proudly. He stopped in dismay when he saw the look on his littermate's face. "Hey, look. I'm sorry, Eaglepaw. We can still be friends, yeah? Still brothers?" he murmured, licking Eaglepaw's ear. Disgusted, the apprentice pulled away. "Don't you under..." his hiss was interupted by a agitated yowl. Shocked, the brothers turned to the midnight-black she-cat. She was not standing her ground determinedly any more. Instead, she was on her back, writhing in pain. Eaglepaw looked at her casually, trying not to feel anything for her. No sympathy, no concern, no hope. Definitely no love. "Kits! Get a med..." her eyes grew wide as she realized her situation. "There is no medicine cat!" Firepelt breathed in horror. Eaglepaw simply watched, amused. "Get poppy seeds! Borage! Herbs! Water! A stick! Help!" the flame-coloured tom mewed quickly, but Eaglepaw didn't move from his spot. Firepelt gave a few more orders, his eyes wild with fear. Eaglepaw pretended not to have heard, although even a deaf cat could have heard the ginger warrior's frantic words. "If you ever loved me, help me now. Please, Eaglepaw. We were best friends once. Don't let that ever change. Help me!" she shrieked. Their eyes locked, and Eaglepaw felt his paws begin to move towards the camp. "Thankyou, Eaglepaw. You're a true friend." Firepelt nodded. He looked pained not to be able to help his mate. Eaglepaw stopped deliberately, and padded up to his once-friend. She looked at him is a mixture of shock, confusion and gratitude, but her gaze was torn away as a wild spasm of pain shook her body again. Was this really the warrior that brought down cats twice her size in battle? "I'm not your friend. Not even close- and that goes for both of you." he growled. Midnightblaze gave a shriek and twisted violently. "Go!" "No." Eaglepaw yawned, stretching his aching muscles casually. Midnightblaze gave a yowl of such torture that he was almost tempted to feel sorry for her, but there was no way he could forgive her. Not a chance. "That's one, Midnightblaze. Just one more." Firepelt pleaded. A tiny, unmoving bundle of fur lay sprawled on the grass and Eaglepaw had to use all his willpower not to strike the life from it's body. "Lick!" she panted, and gave another screech. Eaglepaw watched his brother lick his first kit vigorously. "Ow!" the she-cat yowled. Firepelt thrust the first kit down and rushed to her side to see the second kit. "You did it, Midnightblaze. I knew you could be strong, even outside the battle field. We'll have to let you go back to be a warrior. I know you only became a medicine cat because you didn't want to have to tell Eaglepaw you didn't love him. It was a brave, brave descision but now he's hurt. After this, we can raise our kits into amazing leaders and you can get right back onto the battle field in six moons. I love you." Firepelt murmured, nuzzling her pelt affectionately. Eaglepaw fought off a pang of agony and growled. Midnightblaze squirmed "II'm sorry, Eaglepaw... but it's true. I only became a medicine cat so I wouldn't have to hurt you. And it's true that I'm better off as a warrior. I'm sorry." she rasped, looking with the purest of love at both kits. She cared for these kits so much. It was going to be torture for her when Eaglepaw made them into the monsters they deserved to be. Turning to go, he hissed a few final words to the relieved mates. "I'll pay you back. You'll see." Allegiances Allegiances- Thunderclan Leader-''' Strikestar Apprentice- Risepaw 'Deputy-' Whitefoot 'Medicine cat- '''Smalleye- large brown tom with tiny blue eyes '''Warriors-' Fallenfoot- tall golden tom Nightstorm- pretty black she-cat with sparkling green eyes. Flamepelt- bright red she-cat with pale blue eyes Whitefoot- small gray tom with one white paw Palemoon- pale yellow she-cat with matching yellow eyes Roughfoot- large tom with ragged fur. ex-rogue Littlestride- small brown tom Dirtpelt- dark brown tom. Firepelt- dark ginger tom with green eyes Eagleheart- pale gray tom with huge blue eyes 'Apprentices-' Slippaw - muscular dark brown tom Bluepaw- pretty yellow she-cat with sparkling blue eyes Petalpaw- very pale red she-cat. Sugarpaw- grey she-cat with pretty amber eyes. 'Queens-' Streampelt- beautiful silver she-cat Midnightblaze- sleek black she-cat with amber eyes '''Elders Dawnbird- pale brown she-cat Category:Melodybird's fanfics 'Firekit '